Will and Peter Anderson: Bio
Will and Peter Anderson
Identical twin brothers Peter and Will Anderson are natives of Bethesda, MD. They have established themselves as two of the most promising up and coming saxophonists. Beginning on the clarinet at age 9, they soon added the saxophone. Their studies took off in high school when they began studying with D.C. saxophonist Paul Carr. While still in High School, Peter and William were members of the internationally selected Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellows, Jazz Aspen Summer Sessions, Dave Brubeck Summer Colony, Scholarship winners at the Fish-Middleton Jazz Competition, and Downbeat Magazine outstanding soloists.
After high School, they began studying at the prestigious Juilliard School’s Jazz Program in New York City. They have studied with Barry Harris, Frank Wess, James Moody, Kenny Washington and Chris Byars among others. They have performed at top jazz venues such as New York's Blue Note, Birdland, Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, London’s 100 Club, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and in Scotland, Japan, and Costa Rica. Peter and William play their own original compositions as well, which have been performed at venues such as IAJE’s 2006 international convention, and Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Leading their own quintet, they have performed at such venues as NY's Dizzy's Coca-Cola Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Fat Cat, Cleopattra's Needle, DC's Blues Alley and Twins Jazz Club, as well as internationally.
Recently in 2009, Peter and Will were both selected for the "Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead Program" and the "Young Artists at Ravinia" Jazz Residency, giving them the opportunity to perform their original compositions at the Kennedy Center and the Ravinia Jazz Festival. Outside of their own quintet, Will and Peter often play with the The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, the Loren Schoenberg Big Band, and the Teddy Charles Tentet. On clarinet, Peter and Will have been a featured soloists with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, the Arturo O'Farrill Orchestra, and the Stan Rubin Orchestra playing the music of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, and others.
Peter Anderson - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Peter Reardon-Anderson, a native of Bethesda, Maryland, has played clarinet and tenor saxophone since the age of nine. While in high school, he was a member of the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellows, a resident of the Jazz Aspen Summer Sessions and the Dave Brubeck Summer Colony, a two-time contestant in the Fish-Middleton Scholarship competition, and a Downbeat Magazine outstanding soloist. He has performed at such venues as The Blue Note, Birdland, and Carnegie Hall in New York, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and internationally at London’s 100 Club, the Whitley Bay Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and in Scotland, Japan, and in the Middle East.
He has studied with Barry Harris, Frank Wess, and Chris Byars. He has played in bands led by Jimmy Heath, Teddy Charles, Valery Ponomarev, Arturo O’Farrill, and with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Village Vanguard Orchestra, Jon Hendricks, Billy Taylor, and Clark Terry. He currently studies at the Juilliard School’s jazz program, where he studies clarinet with Alan Kay, and has performed with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and the Lawyer's Orchestra.
He co-leads the Anderson Twins Quintet with his twin brother–alto saxophonist Will Reardon-Anderson-that has performed at New York’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Smalls, Fat Cat, Cleopatra’s Needle, and D.C.’s Blues Alley and Twins Jazz, and Baltimore’s Haven Lounge. Recordings include Sharel Cassity’s Just for You (2008, DW Records), The Benny Carter Centennial (2007, Evening Star), and Alex Brown’s Montrose Towing (2006 Foxhaven Records). Most recently, he participated in the 2009 Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Program, a two-week residency in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center.
Will Anderson - Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute
A native of Bethesda, MD, Will Anderson has been playing clarinet and saxophone since the age of 10. During high school, Will performed and recorded with a jazz band that appeared often in the metropolitan area, specializing in the music of Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton, among others. At the age of 14, Will toured with the band throughout the United Kingdom playing at festivals and clubs. In 2005, the band attended the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Academy, and was selected to play at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
While earning his Bachelor's and Masters degree at the Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies program, Will was lucky to study with artists including Joe Temperley, Loren Schoenberg, Frank Wess, Benny Golson, Joe Wilder, Hank Jones, and Kenny Washington. In the summer months Will had the opportunity to travel to Japan and Costa Rica with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, where he was able to perform for mass audiences, as well as facilitate jazz clinics to inspire young underprivileged musicians.
Recently in 2009, Will was selected for the "Betty Carter Jazz Ahead" and the "Young Artists Ravinia" jazz residencies, which culminated with multiple performances of his original compositions at the Kennedy Center and the Ravinia Jazz Festival. In 2006, Will won second place in the Fish-Middleton Scholarship Competition at the East Coast Jazz Festival, played lead alto saxophone in the All-Eastern Jazz Ensemble, and received an outstanding jazz soloist award from Downbeat magazine. He is a two-time Honorable Mention recipient from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA) talent search. On clarinet, Will has been a featured soloist with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and Stan Rubin Orchestra playing the music of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, and others. Will has recently appeared with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, the Chris Byars Octet, lead alto with The Loren Schoenberg Big Band, and performs regularly at Smalls Jazz Club. Will co-leads the "Anderson Twins Quintet" with his brother Peter; this group has performed at many venues including Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Iridium, and D.C.'s Blues Alley.